dog-eat-dog DISAPPROVING
describes a situation in which people will do anything to be successful, even if what they do harms other people:
It's a dog-eat-dog world out there.

[TahlilGaran] Advanced Learner's Dictionary ▲

dog eat dog
if a situation is dog eat dog, people will do anything to be successful, even if what they do harms other people.
In showbusiness it's dog eat dog - one day you're a star, the next you've been replaced by younger talent.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

dog-eat-dog
dog eat dog - if a situation is dog eat dog, people will do anything to be successful, even if what they do harms other people.
It's a dog-eat-dog world out there so you've got to know who your real friends are.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

dog-eat-dog
ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what one wants
It is a dog-eat-dog world in our company.

It is a dog-eat-dog world in the advertising and public relations business.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

dog eat dog
dog-eat-dog¹ n. A way of living in which every person tries to get what he wants for himself no matter how badly or cruelly he must treat others to get it; readiness to do anything to get what you want.
In some early frontier towns it was dog-eat-dog.
dog-eat-dog² adj. Ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what you want.
During the California gold rush, men had a dog-eat-dog life.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲